


To Fuji!!

by kenhinacanon



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bullying, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25339300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenhinacanon/pseuds/kenhinacanon
Summary: What happens when a group of five strangers who love music form a band for the chance to win Battle of the Bands and perform at the Fuji Rock Festival, the most popular rock festival in the country?Oh, and they have to do it in six months.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei, Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Yachi Hitoka/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this band au idea for a few weeks, and it has finally come to fruition! I'll be updating every Friday, so I hope you enjoy!

Hinata raced through the halls as he slapped a flyer onto every bulletin board he could find, into every outstretched hand he could see. He got confused looks and mumbled comments, but he paid them no mind. 

He had to get a band together. 

After he was finished with the first stack of flyers, he walked back to his locker to grab more. The more that circulated throughout the school, the better. He had printed a bunch in the library that morning, so he was prepared to cover every square inch of the school in his flyer. He was determined to realize his dream. 

As he turned the corner to approach his locker, he ran straight into someone’s chest. He stumbled backwards. He looked up to apologize, but he stopped short when he saw the annoyed expression on his face. He also took in the guitar hanging from his shoulder.

“Excuse me,” he said, stepping around Hinata. 

“Hey, do you want to be in a band?” Hinata blurted to his back. He had to try. The worst he could say was no.

The guy hesitated for a second, pausing in his stride before resuming and saying, “No.”

Hinata deflated, even though he had been expecting that answer. He continued to his locker and grabbed more flyers. He flew through the school, putting up posters almost in a frenzy.

The bell rang for class to begin before he was finished. He stuffed the remaining flyers into his messenger bag before sprinting to his classroom. He was the last person inside. He huffed and puffed to his desk as the teacher gave him a reprimanding look. 

Throughout morning classes, he couldn’t focus. All he wanted to do was check and see if anyone had grabbed his phone number from the bottom of the flyers. Even if they didn’t call him, he just wanted to know that someone was interested. 

“Hinata Shouyou!” the teacher called. 

He jumped up from his seat. “Yes!” he yelled.

The class snickered as the teacher rolled her eyes. “Please pay attention,” she said, turning back to the board. “I’m writing on the board, not the window.”

“Sorry!” he said before sitting back down. 

“Good one, Shou-chan,” his friend, Izumi, whispered from the desk beside his. 

“Shut up,” Hinata grumbled. 

Finally, the bell rang for lunch. Hinata jumped up, messenger bag in hand, and ran out of the classroom. Izumi called him from behind, but Hinata ignored him. He needed to check the flyers and put the remaining ones up since he wouldn’t have time after school. 

As he jogged down the first-year hallway, he glanced at every bulletin board he had posted on. No one had grabbed his phone number. He tacked another flyer onto each one, hoping to use recurrence in his favor. 

_It’s fine,_ he thought to himself. _Someone will be interested._ Class had been in session all morning, but now that it was lunch hour, someone was bound to see them. 

Once he was out of flyers, he went back to his classroom to eat his lunch. He only had a few minutes left, so he scarfed down his food while Izumi told him to slow down. 

“Hey, Izumi,” Hinata said around a mouthful of pork. “Do you-”

“No, Shou-chan.” Izumi held up his hand to stop the question he’d been hearing all week. “I don’t want to join your band.”

“Come on!” Hinata pestered. “It’s only until the Battle of the Bands is over!” 

“I can’t play any instruments,” Izumi commented. “Nor can I sing. Besides, I have basketball club almost everyday, so I don’t have time.” 

Hinata frowned as he stuffed the last bite of pork into his mouth. He had no idea how he was going to get a complete band together and have time to practice before the Battle of the Bands in February. It was already August, so the feat seemed impossible, but Hinata was determined. He was going to win, and he was going to headline at the Fuji Rock Festival next August.

The bell rang to signal the end of lunch. He wouldn’t be able to check the flyers when school ended because he had to head straight to work, but hopefully, someone would call or text him that evening. Within the entire student body, there had to be someone who had the same dream as him.

Hinata struggled through the last half of the day. He desperately wanted to take a nap since his shift was going to be long. The warm sun hugged him like a blanket, lulling him into dreamland a few times, only to be interrupted by the teacher’s stern voice pulling him back to the English lesson. He didn’t know why he had to learn English in Japan, but he followed along with the reading regardless, even though he understood maybe only half of it.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the day, Hinata jumped up from his desk and waved a quick goodbye to Izumi before running to his locker to grab his shoes and head to work. He glanced at the bulletin boards briefly, at the untouched flyers. He wasn’t going to get discouraged, though. There was always tomorrow. 

As he rounded a corner, he ran into someone’s chest again. He grunted as he stumbled backwards and looked up at the person he had run into. Both of their eyes widened. It was the same guitar guy from earlier. And he looked pissed.

“Move,” he said. He brushed past Hinata. 

“Rude,” Hinata mumbled under his breath as he grabbed his shoes and slid into them before leaving the school building. 

His phone rang while he was walking to work. He quickly flipped it open. Had someone seen his flyer? Was someone interested?

He deflated when he saw that it was his mom. “Hello?” he answered.

“Could you bring back some snacks from work?” she said. “I couldn’t get to the grocery store this week.”

“No problem,” he said as he opened the door to the convenience store. “I won’t be able to grab enough for the week since it’ll be nearly expired.”

“That’s fine,” she said. “I’ll have enough money for groceries by Wednesday. I’ll see you at home.”

Hinata flipped his phone shut, stuffing it into his pocket as he grabbed his work apron and threw his bag in the back. He called a greeting to his boss, Mr. Ukai, before getting to work stocking the shelves.

His shift was long and monotonous. All he could think about was where he would put flyers up next. He was hyper aware of his phone in his pocket, at its lack of vibration. Thinking about it stressed him out, but excited him all the same. 

While he was filling up the toothbrushes, someone ran into his back. He was getting rammed a lot that day. 

He quickly stood up and bowed. “I’m sorry, sir!” he said before resuming. The person didn’t say anything more as he walked to the register and checked out. Hinata was used to people not seeing him when he was bent over. It wasn’t his fault that they ran over him, but he always said sorry since they were the customers. 

When it was time to clock out at ten, he went to the back to talk to his boss.

“Mr. Ukai?” Hinata started. “Are there any expired--” 

Mr. Ukai pointed to a box sitting on his desk. Hinata approached it and his eyes widened when he saw all of the food inside. His check was sitting on top of the pile as well. 

“Thank you, sir!” Hinata said, hoisting the box into his arms. Mr. Ukai just gave him a smile in response. He lit a cigarette as Hinata grabbed his bag and left the store.

Mr. Ukai knew about Hinata’s home situation, so he always tried to help in any ways he could. He always left food for Hinata to take home, and he always seemed to know when Hinata needed his check a little earlier than Friday. He was the best boss Hinata could have hoped for, so he always made sure to work extra hard during his shifts, no matter how long and slow they were. 

“I’m home!” Hinata called as he struggled through the front door. He set the box of food down on the entry table as he slipped off his shoes. 

“Welcome home!” Natsu ran into the entry and immediately tried looking in the box of food. Hinata laughed as he carried it into the kitchen for his mom to look through.

“Welcome home.” His mom ruffled his hair before beginning to put the food away. “How was school and work?”

“Okay,” Hinata said as he took a seat at the kitchen table. 

“No one called about the band?” his mom asked.

Hinata shook his head. “But I’m going to make more flyers to put up tomorrow. I’m feeling hopeful.”

“Good,” his mom said. She set a piece of onigiri in front of him. “Someone will be interested. Just stay optimistic like you always are.”

Hinata smiled as he unwrapped the onigiri and took a big bite. Natsu complained that she wanted one, so his mom handed her half of one, to which Natsu squealed with joy. 

After Hinata was done eating, he said, “I’m going to go make more flyers and practice.”

“Don’t stay up too late,” his mom warned. “And make sure to do your homework first.”

“Fine,” Hinata grumbled as he ruffled Natsu’s hair and walked to his bedroom. His homework was pretty simple, even for him, so he finished it quickly so he could tweak his flyers to print in the morning. 

He thought his flyers looked flashy enough. The title was a little long: Join my band so we can win Battle of the Bands and perform at the Fuji Rock Festival! But he thought it was eye-catching, so he left it. He hoped someone would call him soon. There wasn’t much time left. 

He practiced for a while, earning some complaints from a sleepy Natsu. He plucked at the strings quietly well past when he should sleep, but he hadn’t been able to play as much that day. He needed the feel of the strings on the pad of his fingers to rejuvenate him. After he felt satisfied and tired, he packed his guitar back into its case. 

Before he passed out, his phone buzzed with a text. He flipped it open, expecting something from Izumi, or his best friend, Kenma, but it was an unknown number.

_Interested in the band_ was all it said.

Someone had seen his flyer. Someone had taken his number. Someone wanted to help him realize his dream, to play on the biggest stage. He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking as he typed and sent back a reply.

_Awesome!!! We can meet tomorrow in practice room 3A at lunchtime! My name is Hinata Shouyou! I’ll see you then!!!!_

There were probably too many exclamation points, but he didn’t care. He flipped his phone shut and laid down, but he was definitely way too excited to get any real sleep. 

***

The next morning at school, he was back to racing through the halls. He saw the flyer that the anonymous texter had ripped his number from. He smiled as he tacked another one right next to it. 

When he was back in the first-year hallway, someone approached him. “Um,” they said in a small voice.

Hinata whipped his head in their direction and saw a guy with floppy brown hair and freckles decorating his face. The guy looked nervous.

“Are you interested in the band?” Hinata asked. He was trying not to get too excited in case he was let down again, but he couldn’t help himself. 

The guy nodded, and Hinata felt like he could jump straight to the moon. It felt like everything was coming together. “Really?” he practically yelled. “That’s awesome!” He stuck his hand out to be polite. “I’m Hinata Shouyou! I play the guitar. What do you play?”

The guy shook his hand and said, “I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi and I play the keyboard.”

“Awesome!” Hinata gushed. He had never met a keyboard player before. “I’m meeting someone else who’s interested today at lunch in 3A, so come!” 

“Alright,” Yamaguchi said. He still looked really nervous. 

“I’ll see you then!” Hinata ran down the hall, more determined than ever to get all his flyers up. They were working. He was getting his band together. 

At lunch, he played on his guitar in 3A to stifle some of his excitement and nerves. He hoped everyone was nice and got along well. He was excited to hear Yamaguchi play. He hadn’t asked the other person what they played, but Hinata was sure they were great. He couldn’t wait to hear all the instruments play together for the first time. 

When the door opened, he turned, expecting to see Yamaguchi first, but instead, he saw the guitar jerk he had run into twice the day before.


	2. Chapter 2

Kageyama really needed a bandaid on his left ring finger, but he wouldn’t be able to feel the strings of his bass that way. 

“You’re gonna play until you bleed?” a familiar voice commented. 

Kageyama jumped. He turned around on his stool to find his bass teacher, third-year Sugawara Koushi, standing in the doorway of the practice room Kageyama occupied. 

“I can’t feel the strings with a bandaid on,” Kageyama said. 

“You can’t feel them when the skin is gone either.” Sugawara rifled through his backpack before pulling out a bandaid and handing it to his pupil. “Take a break so you can heal.” 

Kageyama grunted as he took the bandaid and wrapped it sloppily around his finger. He plucked out a few notes, but was unsatisfied with the sound. He couldn’t press as hard as he needed to with the bandaid acting as a barrier. 

“I told you to rest, stupid,” Suga said as he smacked him on the back of his head. 

Kageyama frowned as he rubbed the spot. “I need to practice though.”

“Resting and healing counts as practice,” Suga pointed out. “The less you play, the faster you’ll heal. Then, you’ll be able to practice until the skin breaks again.”

That seemed logical to Kageyama. He packed up his bass before throwing it over his shoulder. “Are you going to practice, Suga-san?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Suga’s eyes took on a faraway look that puzzled Kageyama. “I’m playing with Shimizu.” 

Shimizu Kiyoko. She was a third-year who played the guitar. She was good, based on the little Kageyama had heard her play. He didn’t understand why Suga got that weird look in his eyes whenever he mentioned her, but asking would probably confuse him more. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow for the lesson,” Kageyama said as he left the practice room. 

“Only if your finger is better!” Suga called. 

As Kageyama was walking to class, someone barreled into his chest from the locker area. The guy stumbled backwards. Annoyance plain on his face, he said, “Excuse me.” 

He got about a foot away before the guy blurted, “Hey, do you want to be in a band?”

He must have noticed the bass on Kageyama’s shoulder. He paused in his stride. A band. The idea instantly sparked excitement in his chest, but instead of asking more questions, he simply said, “No,” and continued to class. 

A band. For years, he had been playing the bass. For years, he had been learning and perfecting the craft. His grandfather had taught him the basics, but he had passed before he could see Kageyama perform on any stage. He had practiced by himself until now, when he found Sugawara to be his teacher. 

It felt a little lonely sometimes, so at the mention of a band, in that split-second of hesitation, he had wanted nothing more than to say yes. 

His grandfather had wanted him to be in a band, to play with the guitar, the drums, the keyboard, the singer. He wanted Kageyama to have the full experience. But Kageyama didn’t want to experience that if his grandfather wouldn’t be able to see it come to fruition. 

And he definitely didn’t want to play with people who weren’t at his level. 

Sticking to routine, he barely paid attention in class, opting instead to write some music or mime playing with his pencil. Writing songs was difficult when the professor was blabbering about math, but he wrote a few chords down to try out later. He heard Suga’s voice telling him to rest, but he was already itching to have his bass back under his fingers. 

When the bell rang for lunch, Kageyama grabbed his bass and took off for a practice room. He wouldn’t play too much; he would only play the chords he had written down during morning lessons. 

He passed by a room and saw Suga inside with Shimizu. He knocked on the door before entering, causing Suga to jump.

“Hey,” Kageyama said simply. “Are you guys practicing?”

Suga was the brightest shade of red Kageyama had ever seen. He bowed to Shimizu, who gave him a small smile. 

“Do you need something, Kageyama?” Suga asked. His eyes were like saucers in his face, but Kageyama didn’t understand why. 

“No,” he said. “I just wanted to know if you wanted to practice together.”

Suga ran a hand down his face. “I left my bass in my classroom,” he said. “We’ll play tomorrow, okay?” 

“Okay.” He blinked in confusion when Suga turned him around and pushed him out of the practice room, closing the door on his back. 

Suga always acted weird about Shimizu. Why would he be nervous around his friend? Kageyama shrugged off his confusion as he walked to the nearest vending machine. He needed his milk for the day since he wasn’t feeling particularly hungry. 

As he inserted his money, he heard something he’d never heard before. Something that seemed to reach out for him. Almost against his will, he turned towards the sound.

The last practice room in the hallway was cracked open. Someone was playing the drums, but it was unlike any drum playing he had ever heard. He could feel the sound. He could feel the anger, the cry for help. His feet carried him to the room. He peeked inside and saw a guy with short blonde hair and square glasses pounding on the drums, demanding an answer. His shirt was drenched in sweat.

He panted as he stopped, setting his drumsticks on top of the snare. He looked up suddenly, and Kageyama jumped at the sudden eye contact. 

The guy glared at him as he took off his headphones. “Can I help you?” he asked.

Kageyama’s mouth contorted into a frown as he walked back to the vending machine to grab his milk before going back to his classroom, practice forgotten. The guy hadn’t needed to be rude. 

Throughout afternoon classes, all he could hear was the sound of that guy’s drums. He didn’t know how to explain how he felt, but he was definitely feeling something deep in his chest. It was almost like he understood the anger, the hurt, but something in him was barring that pain from reaching the surface, and it was a little frustrating not knowing what. 

When the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, Kageyama grabbed his bag and bass and headed to his locker to grab his shoes. As he turned a corner, someone ran into his chest. He immediately grew frustrated. Twice in one day?

His assailant looked up, and both of their eyes grew wide with recognition. It was the same guy from earlier. The guy who had asked him to be in a band. 

“Move,” Kageyama said, brushing past the guy. He heard the guy say, “Rude,” under his breath, but Kageyama ignored him. 

Before he turned the final corner to get to the lockers, his eyes lit on a flyer on the nearby bulletin board. He approached it and read through it. 

Join my band so we can win Battle of the Bands and perform at the Fuji Rock Festival!

The Fuji Rock Festival? Kageyama felt a tingling in his fingertips. He saw that there were tabs of a phone number attached to the bottom of the flyer. Before he could think twice, he ripped off one of the tabs and went to his locker to grab his shoes. 

He stared at the number as he walked home. The flyer’s creator’s name was Hinata Shouyou. He didn’t feel comfortable calling a stranger, so he would text them. Should he text them? Did he really want to do this?

He found his answer when he felt the familiar thrill of excitement flutter through his chest.

“I’m home,” he called as he slid off his shoes and immediately began to retreat to his bedroom.

“Tobio!” his sister, Miwa, called from the kitchen. “Come get a snack!”

Kageyama shuffled into the kitchen where Miwa was making sushi. He grabbed a bite and stuffed it into his mouth.

“How was school?” she asked.

“Fine,” he said, mouth still full.

Their parents were the typical busy business people, so they traveled most of the time. Kageyama and Miwa had grown up with their grandfather, and now they lived together in the house their parents got for them after their grandfather had passed. Kageyama didn’t know his parents at all, and Miwa only spoke about them with disdain, so he never gave them much thought. 

“I’ll have dinner ready in an hour or so.” Miwa ruffled his hair before returning to the stove where she had some kind of soup boiling. 

Kageyama retreated to his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He pulled the phone number out of his pocket and stared at it. It wouldn’t hurt to text them. Right?

He flipped open his phone and typed out, “Interested in the band.” He pressed send and closed his phone. His hand was shaking. Excitement? Adrenaline? Nervousness? He couldn’t pinpoint it.

His phone buzzed in his grip. He flipped it open and saw the reply.

_Awesome!!! We can meet tomorrow in practice room 3A at lunchtime! My name is Hinata Shouyou! I’ll see you then!!!!_

Hinata used way too many exclamation marks. He tossed his phone onto his bed and took out his bass to practice. He took the bandaid off of his finger and tested it on the strings. The pain was uncomfortable, but not unbearable, so he practiced until Miwa called him for dinner.

The next day at lunch, he hesitated before he stood up from his desk. Was he really about to go meet a stranger about forming a band? Battle of the Bands was in February. It was already August. There was no way complete strangers could play well enough together to perform at the Fuji Rock Festival.

Kageyama pushed open the door to 3A, the biggest practice room made specifically for ensemble use, and stopped in the doorway when the short guy who had asked him to be in a band and run into him twice the day before looked up from playing his guitar.


	3. Chapter 3

It was quiet, like it always was. 

Tsukishima rolled out of bed and grabbed his towel to take a shower. On his way to the bathroom, he ran into his brother, Akiteru, who was also holding a towel. Tsukishima moved past him and shut the bathroom door. He didn’t want to be late for school. 

After his shower, he walked into the kitchen to grab an apple before he left for the day. His mom was sitting at the table, staring blankly at her laptop.

“Morning,” Tsukishima said. 

“Good morning, Kei!” His mom snapped out of her state quickly and stood. “Do you want me to make you something for breakfast?”

Tsukishima held up his apple before sliding his headphones over his ears. “I’ll see you later,” he said.

“Have a great day!” she called before he turned up his music. 

As soon as he walked into the school, some guy blew past him and slapped a piece of paper into his hand. He didn’t even glance at it before he crumpled it up and threw it in the nearby trash can. He wasn’t going to read something some weird dude had given to him without his permission. 

He took his usual notes during morning classes, his headphones hanging around his neck. The closer it got to lunchtime, the more he itched to go to the practice room with the drum set. He wanted to play. He needed to play. 

When the bell rang for lunch, he grabbed his drumsticks out of his backpack and made a beeline for the practice room. He always tried to get there as fast as he could before someone else took it. He sacrificed eating most days to play, but the drums were enough to fill him up. 

No one was in the practice room when he got there. He sat at the stool behind the drums and instantly felt at ease. Everything he was feeling, he would be able to scream it out in that room. 

He put on one of his favorite songs to play and turned it up to full volume. By then, his ears were used to the blaring of music, the banging of drums. They weren’t sensitive to loud sounds at all. He welcomed them. 

He gripped his drumsticks. He let them mold to his grip. He raised his arms in the air and counted down the beat, tapping the sticks together before he wreaked havoc. 

His deep-rooted loneliness poured through the snare, exploded from the cymbals. The kick drum felt like an extension of his foot as he pounded the pedal. Sweat slid down his back, his arms were tense. He was panting, but it was like he couldn’t stop. Even when the song was over, he kept going. He had to get everything out of his system before he went home. 

He felt eyes on him. He stopped abruptly and looked up to meet eyes with some guy with a guitar strapped to his back. He set his drumsticks down on the snare as the guy jumped from being noticed.

Tsukishima glared as he took his headphones off and said, “Can I help you?” 

The guy frowned before turning on his heel and leaving. Tsukishima grunted as he stuffed his drumsticks in his back pocket and grabbed his jacket before leaving the practice room. He’d said all he needed to say with the drums. Being interrupted was irritating, though. 

The bell rang to signal the end of lunch just as he sat down and pulled out his lunchbox. He sighed before stuffing it back in his bag. He would have to eat when he got home. Hopefully, he’d be able to eat in peace. 

“Hey, Tsukki.” His friend, Yamaguchi, approached his desk after school was over. He wouldn’t really call Yamaguchi a friend, but Yamaguchi refused to call him anything but Tsukki, and he had no other category to place him in. “Want to practice?”

“I already did at lunch.” Tsukishima grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “See ya.” He slid his headphones on and left the classroom. 

As he headed to his locker, he saw a poster about a band tacked onto one of the bulletin boards. He read through it and laughed out loud. The Fuji Rock Festival? Like anyone could put a band together in that short amount of time and actually win Battle of the Bands. He grabbed his shoes from his locker and left the school building. 

As he slowly walked home, he thought back to the poster. He’d been in a band before, but they’d fallen apart because the guitarist and bassist had started dating and then broken up. But he’d loved being in a band. To hear every instrument play together in tandem was enough to make him forget about all of his worries. He wanted to experience that again. 

He shook his head and turned up his music. He wasn’t a people person. After his old band had fallen apart, and with everything with his brother, he didn’t want friends. He didn’t want to make connections. They all fell apart in the end, anyway. 

Too soon, he reached his house. Hopefully no one would be home so he could practice drumming in the garage in peace. 

“I’m home,” he called. After a beat of silence, he let out a sigh of relief. He slid into his slippers before heading to his room to set his things down. As he passed his brother’s room, he heard his voice coming through the door. So someone was home. It didn’t matter. Akiteru would leave him alone. 

He set his backpack down, slipping the drumsticks out, before heading to the garage. As he sat down behind his drum set to play, he remembered the guy who had interrupted him at lunch. Tsukishima had watched him for a minute before stopping. The guy had almost seemed to… understand him. It was like he could hear Tsukishima. 

Tsukishima made an annoyed “tch” as he got ready to play. He’d release the rest of his emotions so he would be empty until tomorrow. He felt best when he felt little to no emotion. 

He put on his headphones and played a song about loneliness. Even though he’d done everything he could at lunch to get rid of his loneliness, he could still feel it swimming beneath the surface, threatening to launch out of the water and swallow him whole. He gripped his drumsticks and began to play. He pounded on the drum set, pounded down the loneliness, pounded down the desire to amend his relationship with his brother, to make friends at school. He pounded it all into the deepest recesses of his heart so he would be unable to feel them. 

After the song ended, he set his drumsticks on top of the snare and looked up to see Akiteru standing in the entrance to the garage. Tsukishima couldn’t read the expression on his face, nor did he care to try. 

“Need something?” Tsukishima asked. 

The expression on Akiteru’s face cleared, replaced with a distant smile. “Just wanted to listen. I’ll start dinner.” He turned and walked back upstairs. 

Tsukishima looked down at his drumsticks. Akiteru’s blank smile blocked his view. He swiped at his drumsticks. They skittered along the ground. He was so sick of that blank smile. 

He left the sticks on the ground as he went upstairs. He smelled some kind of soup, but he wasn’t interested. He didn’t want to be hit with the blank smile again. He grabbed his jacket and headphones and slipped out the front door unnoticed. Convenience store onigiri would be his dinner. 

Akiteru hadn’t been the same since their father had suddenly passed three years ago. Their mother had completely broken, and they were both doing their best to put the pieces back together. They had been such a close-knit family, but without their father, their bonds had severed. Tsukishima turned his music up to as loud as he could bear it. He didn’t want to think about bonds or emotional connections; it hurt too much when they inevitably fell apart. 

He opened the door to the convenience store. Mr. Ukai greeted him with a grunt. Tsukishima nodded as he moved to the back of the store for the onigiri. He was really craving some tuna, so he grabbed three of those before nearly tripping over someone in the hygiene aisle. 

“I’m sorry, sir!” The little guy stood up and bowed his apologies before continuing to restock the shelves. 

Tsukishima paid him no more mind as he paid for his food and left the store. He thought the little guy seemed familiar, but he made the quick decision not to put much more thought into it. 

When he got home, his mom was standing in the doorway. She was in the process of taking off her shoes, but she wasn’t moving. She was probably thinking about his father again. 

“I’m home,” Tsukishima called. His mom instantly snapped to attention, removing her shoes and turning to greet her youngest son. 

“Welcome home!” she said. She noticed the bag in his hand. “Akiteru is cooking, I think, so don’t ruin your appetite.” 

“Yes, yes,” Tsukishima said as they both moved into the house. He went directly to his bedroom while his mother greeted Akiteru. He closed the door behind him and sat at his desk. He had no intention of eating with them.

After he was finished with his onigiri, he felt the urge to play again. It was already getting late, though, and his mom didn’t like being disturbed at night. He sighed before climbing into bed. He thought back to that flyer he’d seen on the bulletin board. A band. A band to win Battle of the Bands and perform at the Fuji Rock Festival. He scoffed before closing his eyes to sleep. There was no way. 

***

He saw more flyers the next morning. Some vaguely familiar-looking little guy was zooming up and down the halls, plastering them on any surface he could find. Tsukishima chuckled at the guy’s tenacity. He was delusional enough to believe he could make a band and win the biggest competition of the year in only a few months. He had guts. 

All through morning classes, Tsukishima’s leg jumped under his desk. It was all he could do not to pull out his drumsticks and start tapping on the desk. He was usually focused and a diligent notetaker, but he couldn’t get music off of his mind. A lot of things he liked to keep suppressed were threatening to erupt. His mom hadn’t acknowledged him at all that morning, so he knew she was about to disappear again. Akiteru would put off leaving home again. Tsukishima was feeling trapped. 

When the lunch bell rang, he nearly sprinted to the last practice room. As he was passing 3A, the biggest practice room, he stopped when he saw that little guy playing the guitar. He did a double take when he saw the guy who had spied on him the day before hesitate at the doorway before pushing inside. 

So the little guy was really getting a band together. Do I go? Tsukishima pushed the thought out of his mind immediately, but his feet were still glued to the spot. 

He wanted to go. He needed to go. A band was what he craved. He gripped his drumsticks so hard, his hand started to ache. Before he could think twice, he walked to 3A’s door and threw it open.


	4. Chapter 4

The guy who worked at the nearby convenience store raced past Yamaguchi to a bulletin board just in front of them. He slapped three flyers onto it before disappearing around the corner. 

Yamaguchi approached the bulletin board and read the poster. His heart immediately began to race at the words, but he walked away before he could get too excited. There was no way he could be in a band. 

As he was walking to class, someone nudged him. “Sorry,” he said on instinct. 

“Watch where you’re going,” they sneered. Yamaguchi kept his head down as he walked into his classroom and sat at his desk. 

He should be used to the sneers and shoves, but he still felt embarrassed every time. He could feel the heat in his face. He fanned himself, willing himself to cool down before class began. He tried so hard not to let those things get to him, but his heart always deflated whenever they happened. 

He took his notes as normal during morning classes. At one point, he was humming to himself when the teacher told him to stop. He could hear the snickers even after they had died down. His pencil lead broke several times from the hardness with which he was writing. 

Finally, the lunch bell rang. He grabbed his lunch and turned to ask his one friend, Tsukishima, if he wanted to eat together, but he was already gone. Yamaguchi sighed before leaving the classroom and walking to the practice rooms. 3D had a piano, so he would be able to do some practicing while he ate. 

Yamaguchi had been playing the piano since he was five years old. His parents had put him in different lessons ranging from music to sports to art, but he’d fallen in love with music as soon as he’d pressed a key on the piano. His parents supported him wholeheartedly with his music, and he was grateful for them. They were the only friends he had. 

He ate his food quickly in his lap so he wouldn’t get anything on the piano. After he was finished, he discarded his trash in the hall and sat back down on the piano bench. The snickers from morning lessons raised his hands and set them on the keys. 

He enjoyed playing rock songs on the piano. They were loud, full of emotion, energy. He was classically trained, and he did enjoy playing classical music, but rock truly understood him. He felt like his voice was finally being heard, like he could express everything inside of him when he played rock songs. 

It didn’t help that he also watched a lot of anime, so he really loved playing opening theme songs. His current favorite was Hikaru Nara by GooseHouse, the opening for Your Lie in April, one of his favorite animes. It was a duet, but he loved playing it and singing it. He hoped one day he could make a friend so he could finally sing it the way it was meant to be sung. 

As soon as he started playing, the snickers faded to the background. The heat in his face was a distant memory. All of the laughter throughout the years, all of the shoves, all of the tears came flooding through him and out of him. He could never forget all that he’s been through. But he could let it go, for his own sake. Music allowed him to let go. 

He began singing. His voice blended in with the sound of the piano. It was a duet, a beautiful song between him and the piano. He would love a friend to sing with, but the piano was enough for him. The piano has been his friend for years. He was content. 

When the song was over, he smiled down at the keys. He made sure to keep it tuned since the school didn’t. He had taught himself how to tune pianos when he was in junior high. He knew everything about his friend. 

As he rose from the piano bench to leave, he saw a face peering through the small window at him. He jumped in surprise. She was a girl with short blonde hair and big brown eyes. He heard her yelp before her face disappeared. 

_Cute,_ he thought to himself before leaving 3D and walking back to the classroom. He still had a few minutes to kill, so he took his time. He didn’t see the girl, so she must have sprinted back to her room. He wondered what class she was in. 

When he got back to his classroom, he sat down at his desk near the front and readied his notebook for afternoon classes.

“Hey, Tadashi!” Yamaguchi immediately shrank into himself. He would remember that voice for the rest of his life. 

“Let me see your morning notes.” Sato Itsuki put his hand on Yamaguchi’s desk and smiled at him, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Sato had spent the majority of their childhood relentlessly making Yamaguchi feel small. Yamaguchi had never done anything to Sato, but Sato went out of his way to put Yamaguchi at the bottom of the food chain. 

Yamaguchi flipped backwards in his notebook before handing it to Sato. He never tried to challenge Sato because he had learned that standing up for himself caused much more trouble than it was worth. 

“You’re the best, as usual, Tadashi.” Yamaguchi cringed inwardly at the use of his first name. He would only let his close friends call him Tadashi, and Sato was the furthest from friend that someone could get. 

After Sato was done copying down his notes, Sato returned them, slapping Yamaguchi hard on the back. “Make sure to stop spacing out in class, okay? Notes were a little sparse in places. Pay attention to afternoon lessons.” Sato smiled his fake smile again before returning to his seat. 

Yamaguchi sighed as the bell to signal the end of lunch rang. He heard Tsukishima sit down behind him. He was always late coming back from lunch. 

Sato’s warning rang in his ears as he took diligent notes from the afternoon lessons. English was the last lesson, and he already sucked at vocabulary, so when he missed a few of the words, his hand began to shake. 

Sato had never put his hands on Yamaguchi, but Sato knew that he didn’t have to to beat Yamaguchi into submission. Yamaguchi had seen Sato get angry, and it was a sight that haunted his sleep. He would do anything to not have that wrath directed at him. 

When the bell rang, Yamaguchi immediately shot out of his desk and approached Tsukishima. If Yamaguchi was with him, Sato would leave him alone for the day. 

“Hey, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi used his nickname for his… friend? Acquaintance? He didn’t think Tsukki thought too highly of him, but he tolerated him nonetheless. “Want to practice?”

“I already did at lunch.” Tsukki grabbed his bag and stood from his desk. “See ya.” Without another word, he slid his headphones on and walked out of the classroom. 

Yamaguchi sighed before gathering his things. He looked around for Sato, but he was already gone with his group of friends. Yamaguchi’s shoulders sagged as he walked out of the classroom and to his locker for his shoes. While he was walking, he saw the convenience store guy from earlier tacking up more posters about his band. 

His excitement from earlier thrummed in his chest. He should talk to the guy. He should try. He wanted friends. He wanted people he could connect with. He wanted to feel a part of something, anything. He was doubtful that they could win Battle of the Bands in such a short period of time, but he wanted to at least try. 

_You? In a band?_ He stopped in his tracks as his anxiety began to bubble and burst. _You’re not good enough to be in a band. Don’t waste your time._

He stopped walking in the direction the convenience store guy had run in and walked towards his locker. He grabbed his shoes, slipped them on, and left the building. He felt tears welling in his eyes, but he blinked them away as he began the walk home. There was no point in crying. He had failed himself once again. 

His parents weren’t home yet by the time he got there. They both worked until early evening, so he had some alone time to do homework and practice on his keyboard before dinner. 

As he got to work on his homework, he looked over his notes from that day and, of course, Sato had written in his notebook. He hadn’t even noticed. He wrote tips for notetaking in the margins. Yamaguchi laughed out loud. Sato never took notes, but was giving him pointers. He wished he could laugh in Sato’s face. He wished for a lot of things to be different. 

He was practicing on his keyboard when his parents came home. They worked at the same company, so it was always nice that they left and came home together. He greeted them before retreating back to his room to wait for dinner. He played and quietly sang Hikaru Nara again before his mother called him to the table. 

“How was school?” his mother asked. 

“It was good,” he said, his usual answer. 

He had never told his parents about the bullying. They would worry, and the last thing he wanted to do was worry them. He could shoulder everything himself. It felt like a million pounds of pain and suffering on his shoulders, but he would rather feel it than have his loving parents tote any of it. 

They continued their small discussion about school and work before Yamaguchi cleaned the table and washed the dishes. His parents usually sat on the couch and watched television until they got tired and went to bed while Yamaguchi did schoolwork or practiced the keyboard. 

“You should join a band,” his dad said suddenly as his parents made their way to the living room. 

Yamaguchi started in surprise. It seemed too coincidental that he had seen that flyer, and now his dad was telling him to join a band? 

“What makes you say that?” he asked.

“I always hear you play rock songs on your keyboard,” he said. “You have a lovely voice as well. I think it’d be good for you.” 

He blushed at the thought of his parents listening to him sing. He guessed he wasn’t being as quiet as he thought he was. 

“Actually,” he started. “There was a flyer at school about someone forming a band for Battle of the Bands in February.” 

“That’s awfully soon, isn’t it?” his mom said as she plopped down on the couch. 

“Yeah,” Yamaguchi said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I thought so, too.”

“Go for it!” his dad encouraged. “It may be soon, but who knows? You might win the whole thing anyway.” 

“I doubt it, Dad,” Yamaguchi laughed. His chest swelled with certainty. After hearing his dad’s encouragement, he decided that he was going to find the convenience store guy tomorrow and ask about the band. He could hardly sleep that night. 

***

He got to school early the next day to look for the guy. He roamed the halls, trying to seem inconspicuous, but feeling very much the opposite. 

Just as he was about to give up until lunch, he saw the guy running back to the first year hallway. Yamaguchi jogged to catch up with him and caught him while he was putting up another flyer.

“Um,” Yamaguchi said.

The convenience store guy whipped around to look at him, his eyes large and bright in his face. “Are you interested in the band?” he asked. Yamaguchi could hear the excitement in his voice already.

Yamaguchi nodded, suddenly unable to form sentences. The convenience store guy lit up more than he already was and fully turned to face Yamaguchi.

“Really?” he practically yelled. “That’s awesome!” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Hinata Shouyou! I play the guitar. What do you play?” 

Yamaguchi shook his hand as he said, “I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi and I play the keyboard.” 

“Awesome!” Hinata said. “I’m meeting someone else who’s interested today at lunch in 3A, so come!” 

“Alright,” Yamaguchi said, still taken aback by Hinata’s brightness. 

“I’ll see you then!” Hinata sprinted down the hall and disappeared around a corner. 

Yamaguchi’s heart pounded all through morning lessons. What was the other person like? What would they think of him? Would they like him? These questions gnawed at his brain, chewed away at his earlier excitement. He almost felt reluctant to go after thinking through every scenario. 

At the sound of the lunch bell, he jumped up from his seat. He didn’t bring his lunch because his stomach felt like it was squeezing itself. His feet dragged as he made his way to 3A. Hopefully Hinata hadn’t changed his mind or found someone else. Hopefully the other person would be nice as well. Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully. 

When he finally got to 3A, he stopped when he saw Tsukki standing outside the door, his hand on the knob. Before Yamaguchi could say anything, Tsukki pushed his way inside. Yamaguchi let out a sigh of relief. If the other person was Tsukki, everything would be alright. 

When he pushed open the door to the room, however, he stopped when he saw Kageyama Tobio inside.


	5. Chapter 5

Yachi hummed to herself as she walked to class. Her headphones were blaring music, so she hadn’t realized how loud she was singing until she got a few looks from the people around her. She ducked her head and ceased her humming. She always got carried away. 

“Hey, Hitoka!” her friends in her class called. She took out her headphones and waved to them before taking her seat near the window. She chatted with her friends until the bell rang and the teacher walked into the classroom. She opened her notebook and readied her pencil for note-taking. 

Yachi was a diligent student. She took precise notes, she never turned homework in late, she scored high on all of her tests. She threw herself into her studies a little more than was healthy, but she knew that she was good in school, and she had to prove to her mother that she was dedicated to something, that she could succeed in something. 

When the lunch bell rang, Yachi set her pencil down and shook out her hand. She had written three pages of notes for Japanese Literature alone. She closed her notebook and grabbed her lunch. She wanted to sing in one of the practice rooms before afternoon classes began. It was the only time she could sing freely. 

She grabbed her phone after she was done scarfing down her phone and went through her songs to decide what she wanted to sing. She started humming Sangenshoku by Pelican Fanclub as she looked for an open practice room. She liked that they were mostly soundproof and no one ever really walked by the rooms during lunch. 

She heard a voice coming from 3D, accompanied with the piano. She hesitated. The voice captivated her almost instantly. She approached the door like it would burst open and looked through the window. 

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a guy with floppy brown hair and freckles singing his heart out. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He played the piano effortlessly, like it was an extension of himself. He looked like he was born to be a musician. 

She wondered if she looked like that when she sang. 

When he finished his song, he smiled at the piano. She felt herself smiling, too, without even realizing it. As he rose from the bench, he turned and made eye contact with her. She yelped in surprise and ducked away from the window. Chest heaving, she peeled herself away from the door and ran back to her classroom. 

She flopped into her desk to catch her breath. Her friends were concerned, but she waved them away. Even after she could breathe normally, her heart was still beating erratically. She could still hear his voice, see his smile after he was done singing. She wanted to see it again. 

She smacked her forehead on her desk as the bell rang. She didn’t even practice singing. Now she wouldn’t be able to until the next day. Hopefully her mom was working late that night. She didn’t even dare to hum while her mom was home. 

Throughout afternoon classes, she took her diligent notes, all while hearing that guy’s voice in her head like an earworm. What did she have to do to hear it again? 

More than anything, she envied him. She envied his ability to just… sing. He could sing as loud as he wanted to, sing just to sing. She wanted her voice to be heard, too. She wanted to sing as loud as she could so everyone could hear her. 

As she was leaving her classroom at the end of the day, someone blew past her at the speed of light. Her eyes widened as she stopped dead in her tracks to avoid ramming into them. In his wake, a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. She picked it up, preparing to call after them in case it was important, when she read the title. 

Her eyes were nearly saucers in her face. Someone was putting a band together for the Battle of the Bands in February. Her hand shook as she saw the tabs of a phone number attached to the bottom. 

A band? In her wildest dreams, she was the lead singer of a band, performing on stage with her best friends supporting her from behind. Thousands of people heard her voice and loved it. More than anything, she wanted to reach out to people like her, the people who don’t know how to express themselves. A band would be the perfect way to do that. 

She stuffed the flyer into her bag as she shook her head. There was no way her mom would let her be in a band. She didn’t even think she was good enough to be the lead singer of anything. Still, something in her was telling her to contact the creator of the flyers or she would regret it. 

When she got home, she heard her mom on the phone in the living room. She sighed. She wouldn’t be able to sing tonight. 

“I’m home,” she whispered when she walked into the living room. Her mom gave her a short wave before Yachi retreated to her bedroom. 

She pulled the flyer out of her bag and stared at it. Should she call this Hinata Shouyou? Text them? She pulled her phone out of her bag, but tossed it onto the bed beside her before unlocking it. She knew she would regret it, but she was too nervous. She needed the night to build her courage. Maybe she would try the next day. 

“I’m leaving some money on the table for you.” Yachi’s mom burst into her room, catching her completely off-guard. “What’s that?”

She looked down at the flyer still clutched in her hand and jumped. She hadn’t wanted to say anything, but now she had to. 

“Um, someone at school is looking for bandmates,” she said. Her voice was so soft, she could barely hear herself.

“Speak up, Hitoka,” her mom scolded. “I can’t hear you when you’re mumbling.”

She cleared her throat. “Someone at school is starting a band,” she said. 

“What, and you want to join or something?” Her mom started laughing.

Yachi’s face reddened with embarrassment. “Maybe?” she said in her quiet voice.

Her mom stopped laughing. “You can’t be in a band, Hitoka,” she said seriously. “You won’t be able to commit to it since you like to give up. Besides, you don’t even have a musical bone in your body.” 

Yachi nodded, the ability to speak being whisked away by her mother’s harsh words. There was nothing she could say. 

“Just forget about that.” Her mom snatched the flyer out of her hand and crumpled it up, tossing it into Yachi’s wastebasket. “I have some late meetings, so I won’t be home until late. Order some food, do your homework, and get to bed on time.” With that, she shut the door on her way out. 

Yachi bit her lip to hold the tears back. She couldn’t cry lest her mom hear her. Her mom was right, though. She couldn’t be in a band. Not with school going on. Battle of the Bands was in a few months, too. There was no way. Just no way. 

She grabbed her phone again and went through her music. She needed to sing. She waited until she heard the front door slam shut before she turned on her speaker and connected her phone. She went into the living room to grab the TV remote, her microphone. She closed the door to her room even though no one was home, played the song, and sang. 

Gurenge by LiSA was her current favorite song to sing. It was challenging for her, but she loved songs that challenged her range. She would love to sing it with a band behind her. As she sang, she glanced at her wastebasket. Before she could think about pulling the flyer out, her mother’s words slammed into her head, knocking the resolve right out of it.

She sang louder as she reached the chorus. She belted out her frustrations, her desires. She really wanted to be a part of that band. She wanted to be a part of something greater than herself. She wanted to be heard.

When the song ended, she was sweating. She had been singing more ferociously than she’d realized. She walked into the living room to see how much money her mom had left her for dinner and called the nearby pizza place. 

After she ate, she hopped into the shower. She didn’t have much homework to do, so she could finish it quickly and sing another song before she went to bed. She sang Gurenge again in the shower, feeling more confident about her falsetto. Of course, everyone sounded better in the shower. 

After she showered and finished her homework, she stared up at the ceiling from her bed, unable to fall asleep. She wanted to get the flyer from her wastebasket, but she was fighting herself. Her mother said she couldn’t, so she should forget about it. She had a lot going on with schoolwork, and she wasn’t good enough to be a lead singer. She had felt hopeful for nothing. Her mother was right. She was always right. 

Eventually, she felt her eyelids droop with sleep, and she fell into a dream where she was onstage at the Fuji Rock Festival, singing her heart out. 

***

The same person who’d been blazing the hallways the day before blazed through them again while Yachi walked to her classroom. Even in the early morning, they were recruiting for their band. Yachi clutched the strap of her bag as she walked into her classroom and sat at her desk. 

She couldn’t force herself to pay attention that morning. She tapped on her desk with her pencil, she fidgeted, she kept glancing at the clock. She didn’t know why she was feeling so antsy, but she had missed a lot of the lesson and had barely taken any notes. 

When the lunch bell rang, she bolted out of her desk and headed to the practice rooms. She just needed to sing. She just needed to clear her head so she could focus during afternoon classes. 

She passed by 3A and saw four guys standing inside just staring at each other. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the piano guy from the day before. Against her will, her feet carried her to the doorknob. She got her hand around the knob before she regained her senses. She snatched her hand back like it had shocked her.

She didn’t know anyone in that room. She didn’t even know why they were all together. They didn’t seem to know each other, either. She was overstepping her boundaries. She didn’t know the cute piano guy. She blushed and took several steps back from the door. 

As she was about to walk away, yelling came from the room. She raced back to the window and saw two of the guys in each other’s faces. She didn’t know what to do. It could get ugly. _What should I do?_ She was panicking. _Should I get a teacher, should I go in there myself, what should I do, what should I do??_

The piano guy was standing off to the side like he’d just seen a ghost. The blonde guy was laughing. The guy with dark hair grabbed the shorter guy’s shirt and was yelling at him. It was chaos.

Yachi grabbed the doorknob, flung the door open, and yelled, “Stop!”


	6. Chapter 6

Hinata physically recoiled when he saw the guitar guy from the day before walk into 3A. 

Guitar Guy frowned when he saw Hinata, which made Hinata instantly bristle, but he controlled himself. His main goal was to get a band together, and getting into an argument during the first meeting wasn’t going to get him any closer to that goal.

“It’s you,” Guitar Guy said as a greeting.

Hinata stuck his hand out, refusing to let their previous encounters ruin this one. “I’m Hinata Shouyou!” he said. “What’s your name, and what do you play?” 

Guitar Guy shook his hand hesitantly. “Kageyama Tobio,” he said. “Bass.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Kageyama!” Hinata said with a bright smile. “Well, formally.”

Kageyama pointed out Hinata’s guitar with his chin. “How good are you?” he asked.

Hinata frowned, but decided not to take it personally. Of course, no one wanted to be in a band with someone who couldn’t play their instrument. As an answer, he picked up his guitar and retook his position on his stool.

He played the beginning chords of Chemistry by Period, his favorite song to play. He was plugged into the amp, so the sound of his guitar resonated throughout 3A. He smiled when he finished his presentation, and looked at Kageyama. 

“Your hand position is wrong,” he said. “The quality of your sound isn’t great. And do you really not use a pick?”

Hinata set his guitar down carefully before standing up and glaring. Who was this guy to critique him? Sure, he was self-taught, so he wasn’t great, but he thought he was really good for having never had a lesson from a professional.

Before he could respond, the door flung open, and a tall blonde guy with glasses walked in. His eyes widened like he had walked into the wrong room, yet he lingered at the threshold. 

“Hi!” Hinata put on his brightest smile, despite his anger at Kageyama. “Are you interested in the band?”

The blonde ignored Hinata and instead looked at Kageyama. “You’re here, too, Kageyama?” he said.

“How do you know my name?” Kageyama asked.

“I didn’t recognize you at first, but man, it’s crazy to see you here.” The blonde laughed.

Hinata had lost control of this meeting. “Uh, what’s going on?” he asked. 

“You’ve never heard of Kageyama Tobio, the amazing junior high bassist who nobody liked?” The blonde laughed again. “Twentieth times’ the charm, huh?”

Kageyama’s fists clenched at his sides. His face was red, but he wasn’t saying a word. 

Hinata had no idea what was going on. He’d never seen Kageyama before yesterday, or heard about him at all. What was this blonde guy talking about?

“Are you interested in the band?” Hinata repeated, redirecting the conversation. 

The blonde turned his attention back to Hinata. “Yeah,” he said after a beat.

“Great!” Hinata smiled, glad that he had the meeting back under his control. “What’s your name, and what do you play?”

“You always ask a lot of questions?” The blonde smirked.

“It’s our first time meeting for a band,” Hinata said, some of the annoyance he was feeling seeping into his tone. “Just asking basic questions.”

“Tsukishima Kei,” he said. “Drummer.”

Hinata smiled. The band was really coming together. Guitar, bass, and drums. Yamaguchi, who he hoped would show up soon, played the keyboard. All they needed was a singer, and they’d be complete. 

“I’m not gonna be in a band with this guy,” Tsukishima said suddenly, motioning with his thumb towards the silent Kageyama.

“Why not?” Hinata asked. His picture-perfect band was already crumbling in front of his eyes.

“He has a reputation for being judgemental about others’ skills and being difficult to work with,” Tsukishima said. “I’m not gonna put up with that.”

“It’s not my fault I was better than everyone in middle school,” Kageyama said. “They couldn’t keep up with me.”

Tsukishima laughed. “I don’t even know you, yet I know that that is a very Kageyama thing to say.” 

“If you don’t know me, then don’t speak about me as if you do,” Kageyama said plainly.

“Can we try to get along please?” Hinata said, holding his hands out in front of him. He was going to hold these fragile pieces of a band together with whatever he needed to do so. He wasn’t going to let his dream slip through his fingers because of some old reputation. “You both want to win Battle of the Bands, right?”

They both turned to look at him, and he jumped from the sudden attention. They both looked so serious all of a sudden, and it was a little unnerving. 

“I want to win,” Kageyama said. “I want to perform at the Fuji Rock Festival.” 

Just then, the door opened and Yamaguchi stepped inside. He froze at the doorway when he saw Kageyama. Hinata had to hold in a sigh, instead putting on a bright smile. He had a feeling Yamaguchi knew about Kageyama’s reputation, too. 

“Yamaguchi!” he said. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Yamaguchi tore his eyes away from Kageyama and gave Hinata a meek smile. “Sorry I’m a little late,” he said. 

“Didn’t know you were interested in being in a band, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima said. 

“I could say the same thing,” Yamaguchi retorted. “I didn’t think you worked well with others.” 

Tsukishima laughed. Hinata looked between the two of them. It seemed like everyone knew each other already. He was the only one left out. 

“Well, we can start practicing tomorrow-” Hinata started. He was eager to figure out what kind of sound they had all together. He wanted to start practicing right away; Battle of the Bands was only a few months away.

“Woah, woah,” Tsukishima said. “I thought this was just an interest check. I never said I would do this. Especially not with Mr. High and Mighty.” 

“Who cares about his reputation from middle school?” Hinata yelled. He was feeling very frustrated and overwhelmed. He hadn’t expected their first meeting to go like this, and they were running out of time; the lunch bell was going to ring soon.

“You wanna be in a band with someone who can’t be in a band with people?” Tsukishima laughed again. Yamaguchi fidgeted with his hands and avoided looking at Kageyama. 

“Who cares if he’s an ass?” Hinata said. He heard Kageyama’s words about his technique in his head and grew angry all over again. “He may be the worst, but we want to win the Battle of the Bands. I’ll do anything to get on that stage.”

Kageyama charged Hinata and grabbed the front of his shirt. “The worst?” he yelled. “I was just giving you pointers that you need. I’m not going to be in a band with people who don’t even have the proper hand position!” 

“Stop!” a voice screeched. 

They all turned their heads towards the door. A short girl with short blonde hair and round brown eyes was standing in the doorway. Her face was red, and she instantly looked down at the floor when the guys looked her way.

“Don’t fight,” she said in a small voice. 

Hinata shoved Kageyama off of him and approached the girl. “Are you interested in the band?” he asked. 

The girl looked up, her eyes like saucers in her face. “The band?” she said. “The band!” She stepped into the room, letting the door shut behind her. “Y-Yeah, I’m interested.”

She sounded hesitant and unsure, but Hinata stuck his hand out and smiled. “I’m Hinata Shouyou, and I play the guitar!” he said. “What’s your name, and what do you play?”

The girl shook his hand. Her hand was so small compared to his own small hand. “Yachi Hitoka,” she said. “I don’t play anything, so I’m sorry if you were looking for people who play instruments! I only sing.” She shut her mouth quickly.

“Perfect!” Hinata said. It almost seemed too easy that all of the pieces of the band were there, in 3A. Guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, vocals. Everything he needed to play at the Fuji Rock Festival. 

All he had to do was figure out a way for all of them to get along.

“We can do this, guys,” Hinata said, turning to the four of them. Tsukishima scoffed, Kageyama still looked pissed, Yamaguchi and Yachi were staring at him, almost entranced. 

He cleared his throat. “We can win the Battle of the Bands,” he continued. “We all want the same thing, right? We all want to play at the Fuji Rock Festival. We all want to be on that stage. And we’re all here together. It’s fate, isn’t it?” 

Yachi nodded, but then quickly shook her head, as if waking herself up from a trance. “I don’t know if I can…” She trailed off. 

“Why not?” Hinata grabbed her by the shoulders. She jumped under his intense stare. “Isn’t this not your dream, too?” 

She nodded slowly. She couldn’t fight the pull of Hinata’s words. Hinata gave her a bright smile before letting her go, the sudden intensity melting off of his face like it had never been there. 

He turned to the other three guys. “Kageyama, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi,” he said. “Will you come to practice tomorrow after school? Here in 3A?”

Before anyone could answer, the lunch bell rang. Nobody said a word as they filed out of the room. Kageyama lingered at the doorway, like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it before leaving. 

Hinata packed his guitar up with a sigh. He didn’t know if they would show up to practice. Tsukishima had been adamant about not wanting to be in a band with Kageyama. Kageyama was rude. Yamaguchi had barely said a word. Yachi might come, but she still seemed unsure. 

He didn’t know how they were going to get along, but they would. And they were going to win.


	7. Chapter 7

The bell signaling the end of the day rang, and Kageyama stayed seated while everyone gathered their things to leave for the day.

After walking out of 3A the day before, he’d thought about nothing but Hinata’s poor hand position. Why should he be in a band with someone who couldn’t play? He could give the guy props for trying to recruit when he himself couldn’t play well, but Kageyama didn’t want to be a part of a losing team. 

He was sure Hinata was sitting in 3A, waiting for them to show up for “practice.” He chuckled to himself at the thought. He doubted anyone would show up. Maybe that Yachi girl, but definitely not Tsukishima. 

He bristled at the thought of Tsukishima. How had he known about Kageyama? He was sure he had never seen the guy in junior high, but then again, Kageyama hadn’t paid much attention to anyone in junior high. It seemed as if that Yamaguchi guy had recognized him, too. His reputation had followed him, even to high school. 

He stood from his desk and made his way to the nearest vending machine for some milk before he left the building. The closest one was near the practice rooms. As he pushed the button for his milk, he contemplated just peering through the small window to see if anyone had shown up. Maybe Hinata could learn how to properly play the guitar and they could be a band.

He laughed to himself as he shook his head. He was thinking of the impossible. He wasn’t going to wait for Hinata to get better. They didn’t have time for that. He wanted to be in a band with players that were already at his level, so the band Hinata was trying to form wasn’t the one for him. 

He glanced at 3A. It wouldn’t hurt to peek. He just wanted to know if anyone had shown up. He didn’t care to walk into the practice room or anything; he was just curious.

Before he could get there, he saw Sugawara in 3C by himself, plucking at his bass. He approached the door and knocked, waiting for Sugawara’s invitation inside. He stomped down his curiosity. If he wasn’t going to go practice with Hinata, he shouldn’t even think about the band. He would focus on further honing his own skills so he could be in a band with other talented players. 

“Hey, Kageyama,” Sugawara said without looking up. He was frowning down at his bass.

“Yo,” Kageyama said. He grabbed the other chair in the room and sat down, pulling out his own bass. 

Sugawara sighed. Kageyama didn’t pay him any mind as he tuned his bass. The feel of the strings underneath his fingers soothed his mind instantly, making him forget about Hinata and 3A. All he needed was his bass. 

Sugawara sighed again, louder this time. Kageyama looked up and raised an eyebrow. 

“You okay?” he asked. 

“I asked Shimizu on a date, but she turned me down.” Sugawara plucked some sad chords. “She was really nice about it, but it still sucks.” 

Kageyama didn’t really know what to say. He didn’t know anything about dating or romance, so he didn’t know what to say to Sugawara that would make him feel better. 

“I know you don’t care about this stuff,” Sugawara said quickly. “I’m just bummed.” 

After a beat of silence, Kageyama said, “Maybe you could ask her again later.” 

Sugawara’s eyes widened. “I wouldn’t want to bother her,” he said. “She already said no, so I don’t want to be that guy, you know?”

Kageyama shrugged as he plucked out some chords to test the tuning. Once he was satisfied, he played through a few short solos that he liked to use for practice. Sugawara gave him pointers in between, but otherwise let him play, which was how most of their lessons went. 

“Hey, I saw a first-year was trying to start a band,” Sugawara said after Kageyama was done with another solo. “You should try out!”

Kageyama’s eyes widened, but he quickly masked his surprised expression with indifference. “Yeah, I saw that,” he said. “Not really interested.”

“What?” Sugawara frowned. “It seems like a good opportunity.”

“It’s just a first-year,” Kageyama argued. “Whoever it is probably isn’t good.” He shuddered at the memory of Hinata’s poor hand position. 

“You’re a first-year and you’re good,” Sugawara said. Kageyama suppressed a sigh. He wished Sugawara would let the conversation drop before Kageyama decided to go to 3A. 

“I just think you should take advantage of this,” Sugawara said as he packed up his bass. “I know if I was a first-year with talent like you, I would be jumping at the chance to be in a band.” 

Kageyama stayed silent as Sugawara waved and left the practice room. He could go to 3A. Hinata would probably still be there. Would anyone else be there? He didn’t want to be the only one to show up. Did he even want to show up? 

He played more solos in an attempt to clear his cluttered mind. He was usually more decisive. He knew what he wanted, and he took whatever measures to get it done. Having this back and forth with himself was frustrating. He was either going to walk into 3A and officially join the band, or he was going to go home. 

He left 3C and approached 3A. He looked through the small glass window to see if anyone was there. His hand automatically grabbed the doorknob when he saw Hinata, Yamaguchi, and Yachi inside. Hinata and Yamaguchi were playing together while Yachi watched. They laughed together as if they hadn’t just met for the first time the day before. 

Yamaguchi felt eyes on him. He turned and saw Kageyama looking through the window. They made eye contact. Yamaguchi started at the expression in his eyes. He couldn’t put a finger on what exactly it was, but the best way he could describe it was longing. 

After locking eyes with Yamaguchi, Kageyama released his hold on the doorknob and practically ran away from 3A. He jogged all the way to his locker, grabbed his shoes, and left the building. 

“Everything okay, Yamaguchi?” Hinata asked. 

“Yeah,” he said. When he looked back towards the window, Kageyama was gone. He didn’t know if he felt relieved or disappointed. He had a feeling Kageyama was warring with those feelings as well. 

Kageyama panted as he walked through his front door. He had run the entire way home. His back ached from his bass slapping against it. He stumbled into the kitchen and chugged a bottle of water. 

As he leaned against the counter, he felt the coolness of the doorknob on his palm, how his sweat had slipped against it as he had rushed to flee the building. Yamaguchi’s eyes had seemed to pierce into his mind, see the chaos that was running rampant. Even still, having made his decision, his gut was filled with regret. Sugawara had told him to join, yet he had run away. 

He spent the evening practicing his bass and glancing periodically at his phone. He still had Hinata’s number. But what would he even say? _Hey, I know I didn’t come to practice, and I kinda peeked through the window, but could I still join the band?_ He didn’t want to come off as desperate, even though he felt desperate. He felt like he _needed_ to be a part of the band, no matter how bad Hinata’s hand position was. Standing in 3A, with the five of them all together, he had felt something. 

As he recalled the moment, something akin to fear fluttered through his chest. He gripped the front of his shirt like he could grab the feeling and throw it away. He had never done well with having friends or being in a group. He was always on the outside looking in. No one ever tried to understand his perspective. He was always alone, even when surrounded by a group of people that were supposed to make him feel welcome. 

After dinner with Miwa, he sat at his desk to try to do his homework. Studying wasn’t his forte, but Miwa nagged him about at least doing homework, so he struggled through it, his eyes drooping every few minutes with boredom.

As he slid into bed, his phone pinged with a message. In a rush, he grabbed it from his desk and read the message from a number he didn’t recognize. 

_I’m sorry this is random, but I got your number from Hinata. We have practice tomorrow after school again. You seemed like you wanted to come, but I guess you were too busy. I just thought I would let you know. Sorry that I’m sending this kinda late, too. Yamaguchi._

Yamaguchi? He stared at the message, reading it over and over again. So Yamaguchi had seen right through him. In that split second of eye contact, he had been able to tell that Kageyama had wanted to join their practice. 

He closed his phone and climbed into his bed. He stared at the ceiling as he ran through the message in his mind again and again. They were going to practice together tomorrow after school. He wondered if Tsukishima would be there, but quickly decided that he would probably enjoy himself more if Tsukishima didn’t show up. 

His eyes widened. He was going to do it. He was going to join Hinata’s band. Although the fear in his chest only grew, excitement ran rampant alongside it. 

*** 

After school, Kageyama jogged towards 3A and stopped in front of the door. Hinata and Yachi were already inside. He grabbed the doorknob, but he hesitated. Even still, he was unsure of his decision. A voice in his head was telling him to save himself from what he knew was going to happen. It would be like junior high all over again. 

“Hey, Kageyama.” Kageyama jumped and turned to see Yamaguchi staring at him. He gave Kageyama a wary smile. “Are you going inside?”

Kageyama just blinked at him. Was he going inside? 

Yamaguchi grabbed the door and opened it. He gestured for Kageyama to go inside. Fear suddenly paralyzed him, keeping his legs from moving. He couldn’t get himself to cross the threshold. Once he did, there was no going back.

“Kageyama?” Hinata stood and peered at him. “You came?”

Kageyama blinked at Hinata. “Yeah,” he finally said. “I came.”

“Well, come in.” Hinata grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. Yachi stared at him with wide eyes as Yamaguchi followed him inside and let the door shut behind them. 

“I have to go to work in an hour, so we can play a few songs before I have to leave,” Hinata said. 

“We’re playing?” Kageyama said. Suddenly, everything seemed to be happening too quickly. 

“Yeah,” Hinata said slowly, looking at him as if he were stupid. “This is practice, so we’re going to practice.”

Kageyama took his bass out of its case in slow motion. He attached the strap and slung it across his body. He stood as he waited for Hinata and Yamaguchi to finish setting up. Yachi turned on a microphone. He noticed her hand was shaking.

“Plug into an amp,” Hinata instructed. Kageyama did so. He felt as if he were watching himself from a distance. This didn’t feel real, but also very real at the same time. He was about to play with a band. They were missing drums, but it was happening. It had been so long. 

“Is there a song we all know?” Hinata said. He turned to Yachi, who immediately blushed. “You can pick what we do first.” 

“Me?” she squeaked. She fumbled with the mic in her hand as she thought. Kageyama could tell she was really nervous. He could empathize with her. 

“D-Do you guys know Gurenge by Lisa?” Yachi asked after a beat of silence. 

“Yeah!” Yamaguchi answered quickly. He blushed when everyone’s eyes landed on him. “I really like that song,” he said in a soft voice. 

“I know it, too!” Hinata said with a big smile. “Kageyama?”

The song was really popular, so he had learned it for fun. He nodded. Yachi smiled, relieved. 

“I’ll count us down, since we don’t have a drummer yet,” Hinata said. “On three, you start singing, Yachi!” 

Yachi nodded, though she looked like she wanted to sprint out of the room. Yamaguchi positioned his hands over the keys for the first chord. Kageyama readied himself for his entrance. Hinata pressed on his guitar strings a little harder than he normally would. 

For the first time in a year, Kageyama was going to play with someone other than Sugawara. 

“One, two, and a one, two, three!”


End file.
